The Land

Cape Boundaries In 1829

Written by W. Richmond.

In 1829 the eastern boundaries of the colony were the Keiskama River (although the space between the Keiskama and the Fish river was practically a no-man's land) the Zwart Kei and Stormberg Spruit. The northern boundaries were defined by the Orange river as far as 24 deg 10' and then by a line running SW to Pramberg and thence through the junction of the Zak and Riet Rivers to Buffels River and the sea. It was not long before the emigrant boers were to lay the foundations of the Orange Free State, Natal and the Transvaal, but as yet these regions were almost completely terra incognita.

1. The Cape district ran up to St Helena Bay and included Piquetberg and part of Malmesbury;2. Stellenbsoch included Paarl and part of Malmesbury3. Swellendam included Caledon, Bredasdorp, Riversdale, Ladismith, as well as the present Swellendam4. George included Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, Knysna, Uniondale, part of Willowmore and Humansdorp, as well as George5. Uitenhage included, besides Uitenhage, part of Jansenville, most of Humansdorp, Port Elizabeth and Alexandria6. Albany included Bathurst7. Worcester was a huge ill-defined district including part of Namaqualand, Van Rynsdorp, part of Calvinia, Sutherland, Clanwilliam, Ceres, Tulbagh, Laingsburg, part of Fraserburg, Montagu and Robertson, besides the present Worcester8. Beaufort included Beaufort West, Prince Albert and parts of Fraserburg, Victoria West and Willowmore9. Graaff Reinet included Aberdeen and Graaff reinet and parts of Willowmore, Murraysburg, Richmond and Jansenville10. Somerset included Somerset East, Bedford, Cradock, Steynsburg, Tarkastad, and parts of Middelburg, Jansenville and Queenstown.